City of Miami Green Commission : News Update

"At today’s meeting of the City of Miami Green Commission, Mayor Regalado committed his support to an April 25th Bike Miami Day and to city green initiatives ranging from the Miami Green Lab facility to more sustainable energy practices. Bicycle Action Committee and MOST (Miami Open Streets Team) members in attendance were thrilled to hear the good news, which was followed by a list of new initiatives coming from the City:

1. Bus Shelter Public Service Ads on Bicycle Safety: Bike Coordinator Collin Worth announced new funding from the County MPO to cover the costs of 40 new bus shelter ads promoting safer cycling. Three separate ads – promoting the use of lights at night, the 3-ft law and a cyclist’s right to the full lane – will go up throughout the City in the coming months.

2. New Bumper Sticker PSAs for City vehicles: Commissioner Sarnoff announced that city vehicles will now feature bumper stickers promoting the “3 foot law”. These specially designed stickers will also be available for local residents soon, as well, so stayed tuned for an update.

3. A Safer Health District for Cyclists and Pedestrians: Worth also announced a $48k grant to cover the costs of a study intended to make the Health District safer for everyone.

4. Bike Miami Days: It seems the name is staying, for now. The Mayor committed to one more event in April and Commissioner Sarnoff stepped up to commit himself to bringing “4 to 6″ ciclovias per year in the future.

Other updates:

City of Miami Bicycle Jerseys: Bicycle Action Committee member Richard Cahlin is organizing the creation of the first ever City of Miami bicycle jersey, sales of which will support the city’s bicycling initiatives. The jersey is still in design so if you or your company would be willing to help underwrite the cost in exchange for a logo, please contact Collin Worth at cworth@miamigov.com

Commissioner Sarnoff shared some things he is looking into for our community, including the installation of red light and/or speed cameras, a cyclocross event at Bicentennial Park and a new, official park space at 1814 Brickell.

The South Florida Bicycle Coalition is growing. The regional organization famous for taking FDOT to task for not installing required bicycle facilities in their projects is getting serious. Their Facebook and Twitter (SFBikeCoalition) presence is increasing as interest in uniting the advocacy efforts of Miami, Broward and Palm Beach counties seems to be at an all-time high. Board President Jeffrey Lynne recently joined the board of the League of American Bicyclists, so we can be sure to have a strong representative voice at the National Bicycle Summit next month.